New Lenox is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The village population was 24,394 as of 2010. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning forecasts New Lenox will have a population of 90,652 in 2030.

Geography

New Lenox is located approximately 36 miles southwest of downtown Chicago at 41°30′30″N 87°58′14″W / 41.50833°N 87.97056°W / 41.50833; -87.97056 (41.508251, -87.970597). According to the 2010 census, New Lenox has a total area of 15.683 square miles (40.62 km²), of which 15.66 square miles (40.56 km²) (or 99.85%) is land and 0.023 square miles (0.06 km²) (or 0.15%) is water.

History

What is now the Village of New Lenox was first settled in the late 1820s, in the area of Gougar crossing (Route 30 and Gougar Road) and it was called VanHorne Point. New Lenox Township was established when Will County was created in 1852 with the building of the Rock Island Railroad between Chicago and Rock Island, Illinois. Originally named Tracey in honor of the general superintendent of the Rock Island Railroad. Mr. Tracy later requested that the community be renamed. The first supervisor of the Rock Island Railway for New Lenox Township, John Van Duser, named the Township New Lenox from the town Lenox, New York, which was Van Duser's hometown. In 1863, the name for the new settlement officially became New Lenox Township.

New Lenox is a commuter railroad station along Metra's Rock Island District line in New Lenox, a southern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, USA. The station is officially located on 300 North Church Street, and lies 34 miles (55 km) away from LaSalle Street, the northern terminus of the line, however parking is available between Church Street and far northeast of Haven Avenue. It is also the penultimate station along the RID line before reaching the end of the line at Joliet Union Station. In Metra's fare-based system, New Lenox Station is in zone G.

New Lenox station was originally built by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad in 1900. It is located just north of US 30, and is also west of a bridge that carries a former Wabash Railroad line that serves Metra's SouthWest Service line. A new station was built for that line at Laraway Road in 2006. Like Laraway Road station, no bus connections are currently available.

Tracks

There are 2 tracks at this station. On weekdays between 5a-2p trains from Chicago run on track 2 and trains to Chicago run on track 1. After 2p trains from Chicago run on track 1 and trains to Chicago run on track 2. On weekends all trains run on track 1, unless announced otherwise.